copperdrifter26 said:Basically, when they’re winning, suddenly "nobody is bigger than Ferrari," but the second they have to pay up, they’re nowhere to be found. It's funny how, despite getting absolutely hammered nine times in a row during qualifying, they still manage to pull in all this massive fan sympathy.
Man, I am so sick of this garbage. "Nobody is bigger than Ferrari"—EXCEPT ME! I should probably add that little disclaimer right before the next race starts.
Kudos to Mattia Binotto for handing that position back to Charles Leclerc with an undercut; that's how you protect a legendary name like Ferrari—not by stealing wins from people who actually deserve them just to fix a crappy season. The exact moment Charles Leclerc was put back into first place might be the very moment he officially became the number one driver at Ferrari, and I bet Sebastian Vettel can feel that tension too (honestly, part of me thought he might have pulled into the pits on purpose because of it).
Is there any chance Vettel just completely lost his mind when they moved him back to that position and he intentionally stalled the car? Like, seriously... was it some kind of "if I can't win, nobody can" kind of meltdown? 🙂
Look, it’s not like Mercedes screwed Hamilton over; Bottas was the one who actually messed things up. If Bottas had managed to grab at least fourth, Vettel would've been forced into the pits just to avoid slipping down to fourth himself, and he wouldn't have been stuck circling the track indefinitely just praying for a SC.
Then again, I don't really get all this talk about Kimi being sacrificed. If the VSC hadn't happened, Vettel would've ended up sitting 6 or 7 seconds behind Kimi anyway, and honestly, the odds of seeing a VSC were pretty slim. So, calling the faster driver in to prevent the guy behind him from pulling off an undercut? That's just solid strategy. If things had gone the other way and Haas hadn't totally blown it again, everyone would be complaining about how they let Vettel through even though he was in third.
Drew Bennett68 said:Regarding that VSC situation, I saw an explanation on another board about why Vettel came out ahead. Basically, Lou spent way more time crawling under the VSC compared to Vettel, which meant he was further from the pit lane entrance. That’s how Lou ended up losing ground to Seb.
If you ask me, the real killer when you hit the pits is that massive speed delta. You're slowing down to 80 mph in the pit lane, so your average speed is hovering around 100 kph, while the guy still flying on the track is doing maybe 250-300 kph. That huge gap right there? That's where those 20-25 seconds just vanish into thin air.
In this specific mess, we had Vettel averaging about 100 kph, but Lewis was under the VSC, so he was moving closer to 150-200 kph. Since the difference in their average speeds wasn't nearly as extreme, Vettel only lost about half as much time—maybe 10-15s—because of the pit stop.
So, I finally signed up yesterday. The site was showing a massive surge for Argentina, and there was plenty of hype for Nigeria too, but interest in Iceland seemed pretty thin. Honestly, if things play out this way, we might actually have a shot at snagging some tickets for that third match in the next round of sales on March 13th. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organis...ing/index.html
Raymond Anderson4 said:That’s with the DRS active. I distinctly remember one time without DRS, Sebastian Vettel was sitting at about 322, while Lewis Hamilton was around 345 😁 I'm watching this and I just can't believe my eyes.
And when they both had DRS? Vettel 340, Hamilton closer to 351...
Kudos to Sebastian Vettel, honestly. He wasn't being naive when he backed off to avoid Lewis Hamilton and just let Sergio Perez take the hit instead... because we all know how this goes—Lewis would’ve walked away scot-free again, just like back in 2007. If he hadn't, the post-race chatter would've been an absolute circus of people debating whether it was Perez's fault or Sebastian's fault, while Lewis just cruises away celebrating another win like nothing happened.
Then there's the other thing. Lewis Hamilton's whole vibe was basically trying to muscle his way onto the track in the dirtiest way possible, just to assert dominance and secure a safer spot for the XX restart in the upcoming races. It was essentially him sending a message: "Hey, if you try to overtake me at the restart, you might just end up losing your front wing." 🙂 Sebastian Vettel’s (dirty) response? He basically told him, "Not on my watch." 😉 I think fighting dirty with dirty was the right move here, even if it meant risking a potential black flag.
People have already tried taking these specific legal clauses to the Supreme Court—if I remember correctly, they tried to scrap that whole "intelligence gathering" part—but it didn't fly. Honestly, you don't kill a law with lawyers; you kill it through politics.
If this clause actually falls, it’ll be because:
1. Because the Fandom capitalized on the absolute mess involving the Kansas City Chiefs' management. They tied the frustration over those blacklists and teams refusing to take the field to the massive protests where tens of thousands showed up... It’s kind of like how the US seized its moment back in the day to reshape things on the global stage. 30,000 people equals 30,000 votes, which equals politicians wanting to stay in power, which equals changing the law.
2. Because there’s finally a solid foundation to tear it down: Look at what happened at Yankee Stadium. They used that clause as a weapon, putting thousands of innocent people on blacklists just for thinking differently, or fans getting flagged for speaking out without even being reported. Plus, the blatant double standards when dealing with guys like Jerry Jones... What sounds okay on paper to the general public is being exposed as an absolute disaster in practice. That’s why I'm hoping it gets scrapped.
So, how do we take down the rest of the articles? In America, you can't just have some group of 100 or 300 lawless citizens and expect someone to suddenly step up and fight for them. It’s not happening. And frankly, I'm worried it might be too late to bundle these other changes together with real arguments. If people actually put in the work to build some unity, maybe we could make progress... but who knows.
Long-term, if you want to dismantle laws in the future, you have to constantly call out and prove how they're being abused. You have to show the rot. > Like, if we see a situation where the law is ignored for one "VIP citizen" but slapped onto everyone else, that is a textbook case of abuse—it's total INEQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW. > Or if fans in one city get a pass while fans in another city—where they're clashing with management—get hammered, that’s straight-up DISCRIMINATION based on "political or other beliefs." > Or if a spectator sitting quietly in their seat isn't touched, but someone yelling "USSF IS TRASH" gets penalized just for being in the wrong section? That's discrimination all over again. ... Recording these abuses, building the case, presenting the evidence by comparing sentencing or whatever—that’s how you pave the way for bigger changes. But just shouting about it isn't enough. All those protests and actions are just meant to create constant, long-term pressure. On their own, they don't do much unless you know how to score the goal (see point 1). But if people actually did that consistently, we'd already be seeing situations like this one where the clause finally collapses. In football terms: you get out on the pitch, you give it everything you've got, you burn through the energy, and eventually, you find that opening to score.
Anonymous said:I just got an email back from Krešimir Antolić
"As everyone knows... ... Basically, Article 32 of the Sports Riot Prevention Act outlines our obligations as organizers regarding ticket distribution. According to paragraph 7 of that article, we are legally obligated to refuse to sell or allocate a ticket for a specific match to anyone we have knowledge of having engaged in prior unlawful behavior. We’re also required to take steps to ensure that person can't even set foot on the stadium grounds.... ..."
If the club is LEGALLY OBLIGATED to refuse a ticket or block someone from entering the venue when there's proof of bad behavior, then why on earth aren't they doing the exact same thing for Zdravko Mamić? Look, security guards might be busy watching fans from Indianapolis, but when it comes to him, we have solid evidence of his past illegal activities at Raymond James Stadium. All they’d have to do is request the records from the Split Police Department.
Honestly, if you ask me, the whole point here should be to get the media talking. And let’s face it, the press only bites if the actions are actually original or innovative. For example, what if a group of people sent an open letter to the club stating they have knowledge of Zdravko's previous illegal conduct? They could argue that based on that email and the law, the club is now duty-bound to bar him from the stadium. The news outlets would jump on a story like that way faster than just another boring protest in a long line of them.
Regarding those legal provisions used to build these blacklists—that clause about "knowledge of unlawful behavior" was originally written by legislators with "good" intentions, basically giving the police some teeth because they couldn't stop the rioting. But in reality, that article gets abused constantly. It’s not just about preventing riots anymore; it’s become a tool for discrimination based on "political or other beliefs," which, unfortunately, is nearly impossible to prove in court. That’s why we need to push this narrative harder. The ultimate goal has to be getting this provision repealed entirely, and every single fan in America needs to get involved. Which brings me back to my earlier point: we need concrete, real-world actions that serve as living proof that this law is being applied selectively and discriminatorily to target anyone who thinks differently, rather than actually stopping violence.
Jesse Campbell and casualri pretty much nailed the whole situation... and look, regarding the Cup, I agree that Mamić could’ve snatched it if he actually felt like playing dirty, but do you guys honestly think it makes sense for him right now? With the entire public breathing down his neck, why would he risk taking the Cup and dealing with all that drama and penalties? What does he even gain from a trophy? He’s got a ticket to the Champions League waiting for him—who gives a damn about the Cup when that's on the line? Or do you really believe he actually cares about Real Madrid? 😁 Besides, Cleveland has been holding their own, actually beating way bigger clubs in Europe this year and having a much better run on the continental stage. Anyone who thinks Cleveland can't beat Real Madrid through legitimate means is just... well, it's like what Kek would say at a reception: this forum describes everything perfectly. Nobody here is sane. 😁
It’s honestly depressing watching all these wannabe ultras parrot Mamić's rhetoric, throwing out praise for San Francisco just so they can manufacture this illusion. They’re working hand-in-hand with paid media to make it look like San Francisco is part of the whole match-fixing and corruption circus, all just to drive a wedge between the fanbases. That’s exactly what Mamić wants—he does it by "gifting" players left and right. Look at Miskovic; he sees it through a purely capitalist lens, treating it like an honest day's work. It's like most people would jump at the chance to buy a used BMW for five grand tomorrow without ever looking at the bigger picture. And now, once the rumors start flying about a rigged Cup—which, let's be real, I'm convinced are coming straight from Mamić's inner circle—everyone loses their minds and starts citing it as proof. People actually end up believing Zdravko and his media puppets. To the big ultra groups, the word of those gravediggers of American football becomes gospel. What's next? Are we going to swallow the lie tomorrow that the Bad Boys are secretly backed by the Democrats, or that the guys from the East are run by shady agents while the North kids are fueled by pure ideals? Just more lies.
Look, we need to stage a temporary boycott of Maksimir. Seriously. Let's organize massive watch parties at other stadiums or public spots using giant video walls. We gather thousands of people there—die-hard fans, regular citizens, former players, even those legends from Real Madrid... You know who I mean. Use those gatherings to win over the younger generation and stay tight with the guys currently facing bans. Light the flares, scream your lungs out like you’re actually sitting in the stands at Maksimir, and project this loud, beautiful, defiant image to the entire world. When we can, we hit Maksimir in packs of 1,000 or 2,000. Or better yet? Be unpredictable. Show up selectively. Don't let them plan for us. Hit their games spontaneously so the cops aren't ready or coordinated. Bring a literal army of lawyers, journalists, reporters, and GoPro cameras. Upload everything. Live streams, reports, protests, bulletins—everything. Get all those creative, brilliant minds who were ever part of the Bad Boys together. Hold onto them. Listen to them. Look at their ideas for fixing this mess and keeping the fight alive, then actually execute them...
Just a heads-up, guys—last time we headed out to the Rose Bowl, we barely managed to dodge a trip to the ER. We tried taking the bypass, but there were tons of undercover cops patrolling everywhere. Before we knew it, we had an escort handed over to some anti-terrorist unit that was clearly getting way too much of a kick out of their jobs. They blocked the whole road, tossed our van and the car, ran breathalyzers on everyone, gave us hell, threw out provocations, and even hauled a few people off to jail... Anyway, I’ve got a bad feeling they’re going to pull out every dirty trick in the book tomorrow just to cause more chaos. Honestly, it might actually be part of the setup; everyone expected those vouchers to get rejected anyway. Good luck out there tomorrow, stay sharp and don't let them get to you!
Benjamin Cruz29 said:What kind of naive nonsense is this? Look, when someone decides they want your flares to look like hooliganism, that's all it is. A few paid journalists write their little pieces, the sheep swallow it whole, and suddenly after ten articles, everyone's acting like the flare is the devil itself. It’s always been the Black and Gold Army disrupting games with flares... and everything was fine until a few years back when some higher-up decided otherwise. Suddenly, because of a couple of flares, the cops storm in... and then it never happens again. So don't go bothering the Bad Boys. Honestly, screw the police and their business with the flares and all that crap. They just got orders from above. If there were even one more Bad Boy on that stand who didn't stay in his spot, the cops would be all over us again. And they'll keep doing it as long as whoever "they" are decide to make it happen—even if it's just for throwing confetti on the floor.
All those decisions are made in your own heads. Once you start thinking like that, maybe you'll have a shot. Until then, just sit there and take the crackdown. Go ahead, toss your flares onto the pitch thinking it's going to trigger some grand revolution that gets someone fired, when in reality, it just does the exact opposite. 😉
Look, you guys are partially to blame for this terrible reputation. It wasn't the Wildcats or the Rally Squad who kept shutting down Real Madrid's European matches with flares—sometimes just out of pure, chaotic spite—it was you lot. It’s only natural that someone from the San Francisco Bay Area sees a flare differently than someone from Washington, D.C. To us, a flare is just part of the show, a tool the Rally Squad has used countless times for choreos, confetti, and flags. But to the D.C. crowd? A flare is always viewed through that lens of hooliganism because the Bad Boys were so often using them to halt games or toss stuff onto the pitch.
P.S. One more thing—that message you sent from Cleveland is fine, I guess. It’s a bit encouraging for the folks inside the group, but honestly, trying to pull something like that right after our massive anti-Jerry Jones display at that match is just plain stupid...
The whole thing is, we’re in the US now, and in the US, you can't just go around practicing discrimination without getting slapped down. Mamić is a slick operator, plain and simple, and he’s played us perfectly. He used those rules against BBB while the rest of us were acting like absolute idiots, waving up "MAMIC GYPSY" signs like nothing was happening. All we did was make ourselves look like a bunch of racists and xenophobes to the rest of the world...